Culvert.



MORDEN F. PARKS .-\l\l D OSWALl) PARKS, OF UAPAC, MICHIGAN.

CULVERT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 15, 190e.

Application filed February 20, 1909. Serial No. 479,093.

To all 117mm, 4it may concern:

Be it knewnthat we, Monnnx F. PARKS and Osvvzvnn limits, citizens of the United States, residing at Capac, in the county of St. Clair and State of liliehigan, have invented eertain new and useful Improvements in (.fulvert of which ille following is a specifit-ation.

This invention relates to thel art of making eulverts. adapted t'or usual purposes, such as 't'or bridges. unter-Ways, conduits, and the like.

'l`he invention resides in the specific construeiion of a device. as will be hereafter fully lset' lol'ih and illustrated in the aecompanying drawings. in wl1ieh--- Figure l is a perspective view of the device showing it ill its preferred embodiment: Fig. 2 is a vertical central longitudinal section ot' the deviee eonstrueted substantially the sami as Fig. l; Fig. il isa vertical trails-- verse section on ille plane at the line 3---3 of Fig. 2.

rThroughout the following description and on ille several figures oi the drawings similar paris are referred to by like reference ellaraeters.

eulvert constructed in aeeordanee with this invention eomprises a plurality ot" similar arell-shaped seetious. or segments lt). rl`lle speeitie form of these seetions may be varied to a very great extent witllin ille vscope ot' the invelltion. but as indieaied herein they are drawn on ille form ot' all are of :l eil'ele. less than a semi-eirele, and as indieated they are all of ille. same i'orm and' adapted thereby to enable ille constructor oi a eulvert to make the same longer or shorter aeeording to the desire or exigencies of any particular ease. 'The members lil are made of any suitable material commonly known as concrete and enlbedded tllerein in each one are one or more .'si'rengihelling plates ll, made of any suitable dimensions or strength. As shown each of ille plates l1 is substan`v tially Hat and is shaped to conform to the curvature of ille seeiion io whiell it is connected. The exaei form of the plate l1 may be changed ill aeeordanee with the desire of ihe builder. rl`lle ends l1 of the plates rest upon abutlnents I2 and upon Wllieh ends of ille section 10 also rest. rl`he plates 11 arc lrovided eentrally with holes 11 which register with holes through the sections l0, and

ill and through whieh holes is passed a bar 1:3. consi ituting a bindingand pivotingmember for holding the several sections together on a eonnllon axis and also permitting a ce1'- tain amount of distortion or radial movement thereof with respect to one another without rupture or breakage thereof.

'lhe adjaeent faces of the two, adjoining seetions 1t) are smooth, thereby permitting ille distortion or radial movement hereinbetore referred to. Such displacement or distortion. may be caused by a great many ditlerent causes, such for instance as freezingand thawing and hy the upheavalfor settling of some portions of the foundation.

'The foundation l2 may be constructed 0f any suitable dimensions or material, such as concrete, stone, wood, orthe like.. Assoeiated therewith is a flange l-i. which may be either on ille abutment l2 or may be formed as a tiange on the section l0. `The culvert sections are not only smooth on their exterior surface, but also on the inner surface, whereby there is no likelihood whatever of any passing material such as drift-Wood, rubbish,'or thc like, being carried by the water passing therethrough, to collect thereon and become lodged. 'lhe length of the rod 13 will he determined by the number of seetiolls l() that will he employed in coilsirueting` any particular culvert. Again, it will be noted that the arch sections l0 are illiekest at their top or middle portions, whereby the maainlum strength is obtained.

llaving illus described ille invention in its preferred embodiment, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is:

1. The hercindescribed culvert comprising abutment members having upright flanges on their tops and at the edges thereof farthest renlote from each other, a. series of semi-circular sections support-ed at their ends upon said abutment members and between the aforesaid anges, each section being provided with a metallic reinforcing plate llaving a central transverse hole, and a pivot bar passed through all of said sections and metallic plates, whereby the sections are prevented from lateral displacement but. are permitted to partake of relative independent rotation.

ries of arch sections each constructed of concrete with a reinforcing plate embedded "necting the sections pivotally together on a therein, the sections and plates having regiscommon axis. tering holes,4 and a binding bolt passed In testimony whereof We afix our signathrough said holes to secure the sections to- I tures in presence of two Witnesses.

5 gether, said bolt constituting a pivot mem- I MORDEN F. PARKS.

ber permitting independent rotation of said OSWALD I; PARKS sections. v mark In a concrete culvert, the combination Witnesses: oi a plurality of arch sections havlng SIDNEY GRANGER,

10 smooth abutting. faces and a binder rod contoy Do'rr. 

